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vasanthi.r
Participating Frequently
February 5, 2020
Answered

Acrobat Pro DC command line execution

  • February 5, 2020
  • 5 replies
  • 41500 views

Can we access and do the actions available in Acrobat Pro DC such as Edit PDF using command line execution? is it possible? if yes, please help me with the execution procedure.

Correct answer Thom Parker

Try this one:

https://pdfobject.com/pdf/pdf_open_parameters_acro8.pdf

 

5 replies

N
neljohn
Participant
April 4, 2025

@Test Screen Name : It sounds like some specific functions can be executed via command line, but you need to know the exact function. Is it possible to add pagination in a footer/header via command line? We would want the current page and total pages, i.e. Page X of Y.

We are generating a report from our LIMS software in Crystal Reports, but the pagination breaks when there are crosstabs that span more than one page. A 3rd party software to add pagination is where we are currently investigating. 

 

Thanks for any info.

Thom Parker
Community Expert
Thom ParkerCommunity Expert
Community Expert
April 5, 2025

The "open parameters" document lists all command line options for Acrobat.  Read it. It will tell you whether or not your specific requirement can be met. 

 

 

Thom Parker - Software Developer at PDFScriptingUse the Acrobat JavaScript Reference early and often
S
silvius5E6F
Participant
February 21, 2021

I've found this thread after facing a similar challenge with vasanthi.r and I hope that I can receive some ideas. I have a few hundreds of PDF files produced for printing purposes (high res, high size) and I want to optimize them. I'm using the latest Acrobat Pro DC and one of the Tools from the interface allows me to optimize the PDF and to reduce the file size without affecting the actual print quality of the materials. Does anyone know a way to access this Optimization function automatically for a set of files and not be forced to open them one by one in the DC's interface?

Thank you and regards!

 

T
Test Screen Name
Legend
February 6, 2020

"is there any API available for Edit PDF?"

There is no API that goes directly to the Edit PDF function. Some limited editing is available. PDF experts working in C++ can write plug-ins to do any editing, though it can be a big project. To give you better advice, please describe in detail the kind of edits you try to automate.

V
vasanthi.rAuthor
Participating Frequently
February 6, 2020

The exact functionality happens when the Edit PDF (in Acrobat DC) option is clicked. Suppose if I input the scanned copy of documents in PDF in should convert it to text using OCR. Can this be automated to run in back end without opening the Acrobat tool?

T
Test Screen Name
Legend
February 6, 2020

Please tell us exactly WHICH exact functionality. No, there is not a general answer. Most people think of the Edit PDF function as the ability to "click and type to edit". That is an example of something very complex to implement, which would not hook into the Edit PDF functionality directly (there would be no fuzzy logic to create text boxes, no OCR, for example)

 

There is a rather limited and uncertain way to do OCR programmatically, I believe; if your need is bulk OCR I suggest you look at non-Adobe tools which specialise in this.

The Acrobat tool always has to open, you are automating Acrobat, not replacing it.

Thom Parker
Community Expert
Thom ParkerCommunity Expert
Community Expert
February 5, 2020

Here's the reference, there is not a lot you can do from the command line.

https://www.adobe.com/content/dam/acom/en/devnet/acrobat/pdfs/pdf_open_parameters.pdf

 

However, there is an interface for connecting with Acrobat from other applications.

https://help.adobe.com/en_US/acrobat/acrobat_dc_sdk/2015/HTMLHelp/#t=Acro12_MasterBook%2FAcro_Interapp_Commun_SectionPage%2FAcro_Interapp_Commun_SectionPage.htm

Thom Parker - Software Developer at PDFScriptingUse the Acrobat JavaScript Reference early and often
V
vasanthi.rAuthor
Participating Frequently
February 6, 2020

thank you

T
Test Screen Name
Legend
February 5, 2020

No. 

There is a Acrobat SDK, with thousands of pages of documentation of developer interfaces. No command line.

Editing is an interactive function.

V
vasanthi.rAuthor
Participating Frequently
February 5, 2020

Thanks for the reply.

 

Can you please tell me how to get ACrobat SDK? is there any license cost applicable for that or is it possible to get the trial version to check the feasibility for our requirement?

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